


In Darkness

by ADanceWithTheDevil



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Twisted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 12:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16534763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADanceWithTheDevil/pseuds/ADanceWithTheDevil
Summary: He considered the woman sitting across from him. He was certain she was lying. But why?





	In Darkness

With half a foot to spare the tall man skirted to the side just as cart and horse lumbered by. The chestnut horse, an overworked nag with its head hanging so low its chin nearly hit the ground, didn't even give hint it had seen him. Nor had the driver. The man might have been young and spry once. But the hard work of the city had aged him well before his time.

No wonder. The wagon was an old thing. Heavy and cumbersome it was supposed to be drawn by two horses. The wood, a weathered grey not unlike the sky overhead, was covered in dozens of knickknacks, each rattling and clacking with the swaying movement. Two young children hung out of the back door, their bare feet and slim legs kicking as they talked among themselves.

There was no sign of a woman, be she a wife or mother. Ah. But then life in London was hard. So very hard for some.

But then again it seemed that the city was returning to normal, as normal as could be, now that Jack the Ripper had been run to ground. He had seen the newspaper. Who hadn't?

Casting a glance after the cart he reached up to straighten his hat before turning down a smaller roadway. It was, like the others, nothing special. Cobblestone street. On either side the buildings were the same brown brick as those he had just passed by before. Only a few were different from one another. One was trimmed in brown wood, another in green. A metal sign hung from in front of the burgundy door, a tavern.

This wasn't the nicest of neighborhoods. It served his needs well enough.

Still as he approached his shop his pace slowed. Sitting in front of the dark wooden door was a cat. A large one. There was no collar but only a fool would think this was some simple street moggy. The thick blue-black pelt was cleaned and well groomed. It was also well fed. No, no plump. It was lithely muscular. But in a city where people had difficulty finding food it was a queen among cats.

As he drew nearer an ear flickered towards him. But the feline's focus was on something further down the alleyway.

He paused for a moment to consider what or who might be down there. A rat. Maybe. There were plenty of those around. Down the dank pathway cut between brown stones there were no other businesses and it attracted little travel. He searched his mind for a reason. Ah. The apartments. Rented out cheap with few questions asked and fewer expectations.

One he knew was an old married couple. The old man's brother had died some years ago and the winters played havoc on those who still lingered. Above their single room ground floor was a young unmarried woman. Too young really to be on her own. He didn't remember seeing anyone but her for the longest time and then there'd been a child. A once pudgy thing all it seemed to do now was cry.

"Hello kitty cat," a pause, "anything interesting?"

A low meow was the answer before with an almost flippant toss of its head the feline stood. Stretching one leg and then the other, repeating the movements with its hind-legs, the the cat stepped off the stoop. Like most of its species its movements were controlled and graceful. While strikingly colored eyes turned upwards to consider the man dressed almost head to toe in complete black.

With a grin he leaned down to pet the feline.

Or not.

"Ouch." Grabbing the feline by the scruff the grey haired individual straightened. Now on a more level field, for he stood about 6'2" in height, cat and man considered one another silently. "What'd you bite me for?"

There was a low rumbling purr. If one didn't know any better they might have thought that the cat was laughing at the man known to most as simply the Undertaker.


End file.
